Calumet Park eyes officially renaming street after Obama

Add the south suburb of 8,500 to the list of towns and cities worldwide that have named thoroughfares after President Barack Obama.

On Thursday night, the village council voted 5-0 to give 127th Street -- the main business drag -- the honorary designation of Obama Drive. When the news broke, Mayor Joseph DuPar said his office was inundated with calls of support. Now, buoyed by the strong endorsement of the idea, the village is in discussions with state authorities to make the switch official.

"Our young people have Obama in their heads," DuPar said. "What I want to see is something left behind so Obama will never be forgotten in Calumet Park."

The plan would rename the one-mile section of 127th between Winchester Avenue and Carpenter Street. No street numbers would change, DuPar said, just the street name.

The president's name has been a popular choice for municipal landmarks. African cities such as Masaka reportedly changed names of roads even before Obama was elected in 2008. In the United States, several schools were renamed in the president's honor after his inauguration.

Khalid Romman said he hoped the name change would draw more business to the area, and specifically to his J&J Fish and Chicken location, which sits on the to-be-dubbed Obama Drive.

"It might," he said. "Most of the customers here are Obama supporters."